SACRAMENTO COUNTY – In a united front against the deadly fentanyl epidemic, top law enforcement officials from across the region gathered Thursday to announce the results of a sweeping series of operations that have dealt a major blow to cartel-level drug networks operating in Northern California.
Sacramento County District Attorney Thien Ho was joined this past week by Sacramento County Sheriff Jim Cooper, Placer County District Attorney Morgan Gire, and California Attorney General Rob Bonta in delivering the update at a press conference hosted by the California Department of Justice. The announcement detailed the outcomes of several coordinated enforcement efforts carried out over the past nine months, targeting high-level fentanyl traffickers with a collaborative push from local, state, and federal agencies.
Among those in attendance was Folsom Police Chief Rick Hillman, representing the city’s role in regional narcotics enforcement efforts. Also present were Central Valley California High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Executive Director John Martin; FBI Acting Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Organized and Violent Crime Branch Laura Mruk; and representatives from the DEA, Sacramento County Probation Department, Sacramento Area Intelligence Narcotics Team (SAINT), Regional Enforcement of All Crimes Team (REACT), Tri-County Drug Enforcement Team (TRIDENT). Members of the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors ere also present for the presentation.
The operations over the last nine months have resulted in the seizure of more than 196,000 fentanyl pills and 114 pounds of fentanyl pills and powders. Officials noted that this volume of fentanyl is equivalent to approximately 26,196,000 lives potentially saved.
“Deaths are significantly decreasing as the amount of seized fentanyl is increasing,” said the District Attorney in a statement.
Data from the Sacramento County Coroner’s Office supported the statement, showing that fentanyl-related deaths in the county descreased in 2024 and remain on track to continue falling swiftly. Officials attribute this progress to proactive enforcement and growing interagency collaboration.
Just last week, a Sacramento County Superior Court Judge gave a drug dealer arrested by Folsom Police 10 years in prison in what was the first case locally in which a drug dealer was sentenced for connection to a fentanyl related death.
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